JPS5973632A - One-way clutch - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the space in axial direction and consequently realize a lightweight one-way clutch by a structure wherein an annular retainer formed in zigzag by alternately repeat U-like configuration, outer ring slidably contact pieces, which slidably contact with the inner surface of an outer ring, and inner ring slidably contact pieces, which slidably contact with the outer surface on an inner ring constitute the sprung side of a clutch. CONSTITUTION:A retainer 3 is made of elastic wire rod formed in zigzag by alternately repeat U-like configuration. An annular side plate 7 is axially reinforced by being abutted by the peripheral directional parts 13 of the retainer 3 against its outside. Accordingly, the annular side plate 7, in spite of its plate thickness being thin, can support enough thrust load. Because the annular side plate 7 is formed of inner ring slidably contact pieces 17, which are protruded in every other space located between recesses 15, and outer ring slidably contact pieces 18, which slidably contact with the inner surface of an outer ring 1 and are protruded in the same direction as the inner ring slidably contact pieces 17, the concentricity between the outer ring 1 and the inner ring 2 is maintained, resulting in eliminating the need to fit any extra bearing between both outer and inner rings.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a one-way clutch in which a plurality of sprags are interposed annularly at intervals between inner and outer rings.

Because the required torque capacity is small in spite of the large shaft diameter, a conventional one-way clutch in which the minimum number of sprags required are interposed in an annular manner at intervals between the inner and outer rings is shown in Figures 1 and 2. As shown, sprags 4a are arranged and held at equal intervals between an outer ring 1 and an inner ring 2 by a highly rigid annular retainer 3a made of a steel plate, and garter springs 5a are used to bias each sprag 4a in the engagement direction. with inner and outer rings 1.2
In addition, a bearing 6 or a sliding bearing is separately installed between the shafts to have the function of centering the inner and outer shafts and receiving the radial load during idle rotation.

Therefore, the highly rigid retainer 3a made of a steel plate,
By having the bearing 6 or a sliding bearing in place of the bearing 6, there are disadvantages in that the weight is large despite the small number of sprags 4a, the installation space in the axial direction is large, and the cost is also high. Therefore, it has been difficult to use it in reduction gear units for vehicles with strict weight restrictions, compact gear reduction gears with large space restrictions, and the like.

The present invention provides a one-way clutch that eliminates the above drawbacks and also has various other excellent effects.

That is, the one-way clutch of the present invention is a one-way clutch having a plurality of sprags interposed annularly at intervals between the inner and outer rings, in which garter springs are inserted, respectively, cut in the middle of both sides of the sprags. a groove, a garter spring that is fitted into the insertion groove and urges each sprag in the engagement direction, and a wire rod formed in a U-shaped zigzag shape with an axial portion and a circumferential portion; an annular retainer that holds the sprag between a garter spring; and an annular plate portion that is interposed between the circumferential portion and both side surfaces of the sprag and has a recess formed in the circumference thereof into which the axial portion of the retainer fits. a pair of annular side plates having an outer ring sliding contact piece that slides in sliding contact with the inner surface of the outer ring and an inner ring sliding contact piece that slides in sliding contact with the outer surface of the inner ring that protrudes toward the sprag side at the outer peripheral part and the inner peripheral part where the sprag is not arranged, respectively;
Each of the sprags has an outer circumferential shape formed so that it can slide into and rotate with the axial portion of the retainer as it engages with and disengages from the inner and outer rings.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the one-way clutch of the present invention has a large number of sprags 4 disposed annularly at intervals between an outer ring 1 and an inner ring 2, and each sprag 4 is connected to a garter spring 5. and the retainer 3, and urges the sprag in the engagement direction, and the annular side plate 7 is held between the sprag side surface and the retainer 3.
It is placed in between. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the sprag 4 has a garter spring insertion groove 9 cut in the center of each side surface 8.8 in parallel with the side surface, and its outer peripheral surface has an arcuate curved surface 10 on the inner ring side and an arcuate curved surface 10 on the outer ring side. is formed on the cam curved surface 11 which is asymmetrical in left and right directions as shown in FIG. The groove bottom 12 of the garter spring insertion groove 9 has an inclined surface so that only one end thereof contacts the garter spring 5 when it is disposed between the inner and outer rings as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the retainer 3 is formed by forming an elastic wire having a circular cross section into a U-shaped zigzag shape, and joining both ends of the elastic wire to form an endless ring shape. The U-shaped circumferential portion 13
and an axial portion 14, and the sprag 4 has a circumferential portion 13.
and the axial portions 14, and the axial portions 14 are in sliding contact with the arcuate curved surface 10 of the sprag 4. The annular side plate 7 is interposed between the circumferential part 13 of the retainer 3 and the side surface of the sprag 4, as shown in FIGS. Inner ring sliding contact pieces 17 that come into sliding contact with the outer surface of the inner ring 2 are formed on the inner periphery of an annular plate part 16 in which recesses 15 to be fitted are formed at equal intervals, protruding from every other recess 15, and further, the inner ring sliding contact pieces An outer ring sliding contact piece 18 that slides on the inner surface of the outer ring 1 is formed on the outer periphery of the annular plate portion 16 at a position facing the piece 17 so as to protrude in the same direction as the inner ring sliding contact piece 17. When the annular side plate 7 is attached, the inner ring sliding contact piece 17 and the outer ring sliding contact piece 18 are arranged to protrude toward the sprag 4 side in a portion where the sprag 4 is not arranged.

Note that the outer diameter of the retainer 3 is larger than the inner diameter d of the annular side plate 7, but if it is attached to the annular side plate 7 while reducing its outer diameter using the elastic deformation of the wire, the retainer 3 will be The circumferential portion 13 does not interfere with the inner edge of the annular side plate 7. Furthermore, in order to assemble the one-way clutch of the present invention, the retainer 3, annular side plate 7, and garter spring 5 may be integrated and installed between the inner and outer rings, and the axial detent member 19 may be fitted onto the outer ring 1. Further, in order to disassemble the clutch once assembled, it is sufficient to remove the member 19 from the outer ring and remove the retainer 3, annular side plate 7, and garter spring 5 integrally from the inner and outer rings.

The one-way clutch of the present invention has the above configuration and has the following effects.

(1) An annular shape in which an outer ring sliding contact piece 18 that slides on the inner surface of the outer ring 1 and an inner ring sliding contact piece 17 that slides on the outer surface of the inner ring 2 are formed protruding toward the sprag 4 side on the outer peripheral part and the inner peripheral part of the annular plate part 16, respectively. The side plate 7 maintains the sluggishness between the outer ring 1 and the inner ring 2, and the bearing carries the radial load during idling, so there is no need to install a separate bearing or sliding bearing between the inner and outer rings, and it is not necessary to install a separate bearing or sliding bearing between the inner and outer rings. Since the length in the direction is only the thickness of the annular side plate 7 and the diameter of the retainer 3, it can be a compact one-way clutch with an extremely small space in the axial direction, and it can also be an extremely lightweight one-way clutch.

The annular side plate 7 is preferably made of a material suitable for sliding bearings, such as a copper alloy or a surface coating material.

(2) Because each sprag 4 is not exactly the same, as the inner and outer rings come into contact and separate, each sprag 4 moves to the left in Fig. 5, and the other sprags 4 move to the right. Move to. These sprags 4 press the left and right annular side plates 7 at the same time. However, as is clear from FIG. 5, the circumferential portions 13 of the retainer 3 abut on the outer sides of the annular side plates 7, reinforcing the side plates 7 against axial forces on either the left or right sides. Therefore, even a thin annular side plate can sufficiently support the thrust load. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a lightweight one-way clutch with a small axial length.

(3) The garter spring insertion groove 9 is cut in the center of the cam curved surface 11 of the sprag 4, so that local wear on the side surface of the sprag 4 does not occur and a long-life clutch can be obtained.

(4) Since the axial portion 14 of the retainer 3 is fitted into the recess 15 of the annular side plate 7, external force in the radial outward direction and External force in the circumferential direction is supported by the annular side plate 7. Therefore, the axial portion 14 of the retainer 3 is prevented from moving in those directions, and the sprag 4, which is in sliding contact with the axial portion 14, is always held at a fixed position. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, it is possible to appropriately space the sprags 4, 4, and it is possible to easily design a one-way clutch that is optimal for the required torque transmission. In other words, as shown in the figure, placing a sprag every other sprag, or every second sprag, etc.
The number of sprags used can be increased or decreased depending on the required torque.

(5) Since the retainer 3 can be formed from a wire with a circular cross section, the sprags 4 and the retainer 3 are in contact with each other on curved surfaces, and the sprags rotate smoothly, allowing the one-way clutch to engage and disengage extremely smoothly. .

(6) Using a retainer made of wire, the annular side plate 7 can be fitted using its elasticity, and a large number of sprags can be integrally installed between the inner and outer rings, making the one-way clutch assembly work simple and quick. The clutch can be provided at low cost.

(9) The present invention is of course not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and the retainer 3 may be constructed such that the length Ll, L2) of the U-shaped circumferential portion 13 is at one end in the axial direction, as shown in FIG. It may be different from the other end. Furthermore, the retainer 3 is disposed on the outer ring side in FIGS. 3 to 5, and the sprag is turned upside down to open the garter spring insertion groove 9 on the inner ring side, and a compression spring that springs outward is attached to the sprag 19. It may also be an attached one-way clutch. In this case, the recess 1 of the annular side plate 7
5 is notched in the outer peripheral edge of the cough side plate 7.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional elevational view of the main parts of a conventional one-way clutch, Figure 2
The figure is a vertical sectional side view of FIG. 1, FIGS. 3 to 15 show an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional elevational view of main parts, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 3, FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the sprag 4, FIG. 7 is a right side view thereof, and FIG. 8 is an elevational view of the retainer 3. , FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along arrow A-'A in FIG.
2 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 11, FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 11, FIG. 14 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the annular side plate, and FIG. An example is shown below. 1... Outer ring 2... Inner ring 3... Retainer 4
... Sprag 5 ... Garter spring 7 ... Annular side plate 8 ... Side surface 9 ... Garter spring insertion groove 10 ... Arc curved surface 11 ... Cam curved surface 12
... Groove bottom 13 ... Circumferential part 14 ... Axial direction part 15 ... Recessed part 16 ... Annular plate part 17.
...Inner ring sliding contact piece 18...Outer ring sliding contact piece 19...Axial direction stopper member agent Patent attorney Yuyoto - 1 person (11) Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 10 Fig. 11 +8 16 "7 8△,/- 1X1.・7" AJl. 8 Figure 12 Figure 13 Figure 14 Figure 15

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A one-way clutch having a plurality of sprags annularly interposed at intervals between inner and outer rings, comprising garter spring insertion grooves cut in the middle of both side surfaces of the sprags;
A garter spring that is fitted into the insertion groove and urges each sprag in the engagement direction, and a wire rod formed in a U-shaped zigzag shape with an axial portion and a circumferential portion, and the garter spring is connected to the axial portion and the garter spring. an annular retainer that sandwiches the sprag; and an outer peripheral portion of an annular plate portion that is interposed between the circumferential portion and both side surfaces of the sprag and has a concave portion in which the axial portion of the retainer fits into the circumference thereof. and a pair of annular side plates, each of which has an outer ring sliding contact piece that slides on the inner surface of the outer ring and an inner ring sliding contact piece that slides on the outer surface of the inner ring and protrudes toward the sprag side in a portion of the inner circumferential portion where the sprag is not arranged. A one-way clutch, the sprag having an outer circumferential shape formed so as to be able to slide into and rotate with the shaft (11) of the retainer as it engages and disengages from the inner and outer shafts.